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Irrational Numbers And Fractals

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Posted by Daniel Johnson on May 1, 2003 16:59:15 UTC

Irrational numbers, fractals, and various other mathematical things can be approximated by an infinite series of arithmetical operations, but pi (for example) is not a number that can be expressed by any series of additions, subtractions, or so on, of countable quantities within any finite time. By "countable" I mean things that can be expressed as integers or as sums, differences, or ratios of integers.
So is your son right? Well, it depends on your view of whether an infinite series approaching pi is the same thing as pi.

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